Margaret Mahy

In a nation rich with creativity, few individuals have been as inspirational and successful as our most acclaimed children’s writer, Margaret Mahy ONZ. Her vast body of literary work is unmatched in New Zealand, and internationally she is considered one of the greatest writers for children and young people of her generation.

Issue information

Children around the world have grown up with the humour, fantasy and adventure of Margaret Mahy’s work since her first picture books were published in 1969. A true storyteller, Margaret Mahy had a magical way with words. She worked as a librarian for ten years before becoming a full-time writer, and her enticing stories have been consistently published for over 30 years in more than 15 languages.

Margaret Mahy (1936 – 2012) is the only author ever to have been appointed an Ordinary Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (1993), and she won many of the world’s major prizes for children’s writers. In 2006 she won the highest international award for children’s literature – the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award, and is the only New Zealander to have done so. In New Zealand she was awarded the Esther Glen Medal and the New Zealand Post Book of the Year Award multiple times.

The five stamps in this issue celebrated five of Margaret Mahy’s popular books, and are a charming tribute to her life and work.

The first day covers and miniature sheet featured further illustrations from three of the books celebrated on the stamps - A Lion in the Meadow, The Great White Man-Eating Shark and The Word Witch. They were a beautiful accompaniment to the stamp issue and a lasting memento of Margaret Mahy’s work.

Margaret’s Marvellous Stories

Kate De Goldi is an acclaimed New Zealand short story writer and author of young adult fiction and children’s books, and was a friend to Margaret Mahy. In the presentation pack she gave her unique perspective on Margaret Mahy’s life and passion for literature.

Inside this unique four-panel presentation pack was a range of collectables including the full set of stamps, the first day cover and the miniature sheet, as well as a bibliography of Margaret Mahy’s published works. The pack was a must-have for anyone who grew up with Margaret Mahy’s stories, and was sure to please fans around the world.

Acknowledgements

New Zealand Post wishes to acknowledge the following for their assistance and guidance in bringing together this special stamp issue: Margaret Mahy

Writers

Product Listing for Margaret Mahy

Click on image to enlarge.

Image

Title

Description

Price

Single Stamp

Single 70c 'A Lion in the Meadow' gummed stamp.

A little boy tells his mother repeatedly that there is a "big, roaring, yellow, whiskery lion in the meadow!". His mother doesn't believe him, but pretends there is a dragon that will grow large and vanquish the lion. When the ‘made up’ lion rushes inside and a fire-breathing dragon is revealed outside, the mother is chastened and the little boy reproves her. This simple story - Margaret's first picture book - also powerfully suggests that imagination is just as important as reality, something that Margaret fervently believed.

$0.70

Single Stamp

Single $1.40 'A Summery Saturday Morning ' gummed stamp.

Margaret used a real incident – two dogs running from the geese they had just been chasing – to make this story rhyme. The simple verses were perfectly matched by illustrations from Margaret’s fellow Banks Peninsula resident, Selina Young. The sun-bleached hillsides of Lyttelton’s crater rim and the pale blue skies of a Canterbury summer morning were the first depictions in a Mahy picture book of a distinctive New Zealand landscape.

$1.40

Single Stamp

Single $1.90 'The Word Witch' gummed stamp.

This magical collection brought together an abundance of Margaret’s verses, written throughout her life. Alongside the pyrotechnical word play of 'Bubble Trouble' and 'Down the Back of the Chair' are quiet lyric poems, celebrations of nature’s small wonders, comic dramas, and moments of philosophic reflection.

$1.90

Single Stamp

Single $2.40 'The Great White Man-Eating Shark' gummed stamp.

The Great White Man-Eating Shark tells the hilarious story of Norvin the actor, who is plain and shark-like. Resentful of the other swimmers who obstruct his desire to "shoot through the water like a silver arrow", Norvin fashions a dorsal fin and creates merry havoc in the ocean. Our very human faults – envy, selfishness, revenge - are captured with playful language and wry sympathy.

$2.40

Single Stamp

Single $2.90 'The Changeover' gummed stamp.

This ‘supernatural romance’ details Laura Chant’s passage from childhood to young adult, from ordinary human to 20th century witch. In Margaret’s hands this suburban fairy story became a thrilling exploration of family relationships, a young girl’s erotic development, and the age-old battle between good and evil. The Changeover’s unique blend of magic and humour, suspense and philosophy won Margaret her second Carnegie Medal in 1984.

$2.90

Miniature Sheet

Mint. used or cancelled gummed miniature sheet.

$9.30

First Day Cover

First day cover with five gummed stamps affixed.

$9.80

Miniature Sheet First Day Cover

First day cover with gummed miniature sheet affixed.

$9.80

Presentation Pack

Kate De Goldi is an acclaimed New Zealand short story writer and author of young adult fiction and children's books, and was a friend to Margaret Mahy. In the presentation pack she gives her perspective on Margaret Mahy's life and passion for literature. Inside this unique four-panel presentation pack you'll find a set of stamps, the first day cover and the miniature sheet, as well as a bibliography of Margaret Mahy's published works. The pack is a must-have for any Margaret Mahy fan!